California wildfires send film, TV productions scrambling

LOS ANGELES, December 9

Wildfires raging across Southern California are taking a toll on the region’s iconic film industry, forcing producers of commercials, television shows and even student films to pause or seek alternate shooting locations.

The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday suspended permitted filming in zones near the fires as well as other areas deemed to be at severe risk of burning. Applications for filming in the Angeles National Forest were also halted this week.

Movie studios set up in California in part because of great weather and varied scenery, from rugged mountains to manicured mansions. More than 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate Southern California fires which poured smoke into neighborhoods miles away.

The mountain neighbourhoods impacted by the fires are “highly desirable” locations for filming because they often have large houses with distinctive architecture, said Phil Sokoloski, a spokesman for Film LA, which coordinates film permits for the city of Los Angeles and other governments in the region. — Reuters